UAE elevator market worth over $1.5B

Abu Dhabi: Walking into elevators is routine for most of us, but according to Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Director of Sigma, the elevator industry is worth more than $1.5 billion a year in the UAE.

Sigma Elevator Company held a convention event in Abu Dhabi looking to promote their range of elevator and escalator products for the Abu Dhabi market.

Among the new elevators the company has produced is the Solon elevator, an elevator that doesn’t require a machine room on top of it.

Sigma will be working alongside the Juma Al Majid Group, its main and exclusive partner for more than 25 years in the UAE.

Krishnamurthy explained how the new elevator works. “A machine room-less elevator is simply an elevator that does not have a machine room on top of it. A machine room-less elevator removes the need for a room on top of the elevator, so that’s a huge space saving help for commercial buildings. The machinery is now included inside the elevator, not on top,” he said.

Krishnamurthy also spoke on how Sigma was looking to improve its presence in the Abu Dhabi market. “We are here to reintroduce ourselves to the Abu Dhabi market, we believe the Abu Dhabi market is an extremely sophisticated market where customers are more discerning in the choices they make. Abu Dhabi represents a big opportunity for us,” he said.

Speaking to Gulf News, Saleh M Chehade, Chief Contracting Officer for Juma Al Majid Group, mentioned some of the buildings the company has provided its contracting services for.

“We have quite a few iconic footprints in the UAE, and as well as outside the UAE. We are very well known in Abu Dhabi airport, Dubai airport, in Dubai Mall, and in various high rise 5-star hotels such as the Marriott Markaz and the Millennium in Dubai,” he said.

Chehahde spoke on the company’s plans for extending its presence in Abu Dhabi.

“In elevators (industry) we are going to attack this market, this is the main purpose of this event, it is to really have a strong start in the Abu Dhabi market, that’s why we’ve also invited three well-known constructors and contractors.”

Ghassan Chemali, General Manager of Juma Al Majid Group, shed more light on the purpose behind the convention. “We are going to make the promotion of Solon, because it is a new product, we also have a whole range of other elevator products, from small elevators to high speed elevators that we are looking to promote in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

“Our purpose here in Abu Dhabi is to promote our presence, we are well known in the other emirates, except in Abu Dhabi. And we want to improve on that.”